


magic in the air

by Anonymous



Category: Oh My Girl (Band)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:28:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22061818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: When she first started college, Hyojung knew she was going to face a lot of new challenges. She just didn't expect her flatmate being a witch would be one of them.
Relationships: Choi Hyojung/Hyun Seunghee
Comments: 6
Kudos: 34
Collections: AML's Holiday Fic Exchange 2019





	magic in the air

**Author's Note:**

  * For [staygame](https://archiveofourown.org/users/staygame/gifts).



> Prompt: "When you said that witchcraft was a “hobby”, I thought that just meant the occasional herb spell every now and then: that did not mean that you could hold the meetings for your covens at our house?? Are you drinking blood in your tea??"

The whole thing starts with Seulgi, as most problems tend to.

“I’m sorry,” Seulgi says for the upteenth time. Hyojung sighs, rubbing at her temples. “It’s just—it was our anniversary, we were watching the sunset, Joohyun popped the question out of nowhere, and I just burst out crying. It was one of those in the heat of the moment kind of deals y’know; it’s not like I was thinking about rent or leasing contracts.” A beat of silence. “I’m _really_ sorry,” Seulgi repeats again.

Hyojung almost says ‘it’s okay’ purely out of habit, but clamps down on the words because it’s really Not Okay. “Can’t you just take it back?”

Seulgi only gives her an apologetic smile in return. It seems like she’s not willing to back down either. Had she not almost definitely doomed Hyojung to being evicted because she wouldn’t be able to afford rent by herself, Hyojung would’ve been happy for her. Seulgi and Joohyun have been dating since Seulgi’s and Hyojung’s freshman year of college, and she knows they’ve been carefully trying to craft a future together. Moving in together was a step in the right direction but—where does that leave Hyojung?

Hyojung thumps her head against the table. 

“I’ll ask Joohyun if it’s possible to delay me moving in to her place until we find you a new flatmate, but that’s probably the most I can do,” Seulgi appeases. Another beat of silence. “Again, I’m _really_ sorry.”

And this time, Hyojung lets herself say it with an exasperated sigh meant for the both of them. “It’s fine.”

.

Luckily, it had been fairly easy to find Hyojung a new flatmate. Their (or just her now) apartment is prime real estate, with it being within walking distance of the university campus, eight coffee shops (three of which had Instagram-worthy decor), and 11 fast food joints. Hyojung had posted about looking for a new flatmate on Ewha’s housing page on Facebook before she went to sleep, and woke up with over 300 unread Kakaotalk messages. She hadn’t included her ID in the post.

After vetting out all the men and obvious shady messages, way too many apartment tours, and several days of contemplation later, Hyojung finally settles on a new flatmate: a music major named Hyun Seunghee. Seunghee was actually referred to her through a mutual friend of theirs, Jiho. Hyojung had been a bit hesitant at first, having personally experienced Jiho’s questionable choices in friends before, and it was heightened when Jiho had warned her that Seunghee’s a bitch. But maybe Jiho just has opposite standards of a normal person because Seunghee was decidedly not a bitch. Not even a little bit. Hyojung had watched her bump into the door on the way into her apartment and bowed to it in apology. 

_Yeah_ , Hyojung thinks to herself as Seunghee thanks her with a blinding smile and a latte from Starbucks ($tarbuck$!!) for helping her move in, _definitely not a bitch._ She’s confident that the worst of her problems are now over.

.

“That’s the last of your stuff, right?” Hyojung asks, wiping her sweaty hands on her worn jeans. 

“Yeah!” Seunghee answers, setting the last box in the currently empty room. “Ah, wait! I still have one last box. Do you mind carrying it up with me? It’s kind of heavy.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Hyojung laughs, already tugging the younger girl out of the room. It was the sole box left in the corner of the lobby of Hyojung’s apartment complex. The receptionist had left for the day already, but Hyojung can see why Seunghee wasn’t worried about it getting stolen—1. it’s Korea, and 2. this box was heavy as heck.

“Do you think we should’ve asked Jiho to helped with the moving?” Hyojung grunts as she helps Seunghee carry the box in the elevator.

“And have her hold that debt over my head for the next decade?” Seunghee huffs out. “No way.”

“Geez, Seunghee, what did you even put in here?”

“Oh, just stuff like scryes, herbs— I think my athame is in there. My sister gave it to me as a graduation present,” Seunghee replies, elaborating when she sees Hyojung’s confused expressions. “You know, just typical witch stuff. Jiho said she told you already, but witchcraft is a personal hobby of mine!”

Huh, Hyojung thinks to herself as she slowly comes to the realization that Jiho had warned her that Seunghee was a _witch_ and not a _bitch_. Maybe she should get her a set of tarot cards or something as a welcoming gift.

.

Seunghee, for the most part, is a great flatmate. She doesn’t stay up til ungodly hours, picks up after herself, and doesn’t invite anyone to spend the night without asking first—all problems Hyojung had with Seulgi. But most importantly, Seunghee takes the time to talk to Hyojung. Seulgi’s friendly and great at making small talk whenever they happened to run into each other in the kitchen or the living room, but whatever attention she held for Hyojung was fleeting, and usually chased away by a text from Joohyun. Hyojung had genuinely thought she was fine living like that—after all, Seulgi and Joohyun had been dating for a long time and it’s not like Hyojung had any romantic feelings for Seulgi. It’s not until Seunghee invited her to watch a pirated movie with her in the living room that Hyojung realized how lonely she had felt in this apartment, how quiet and empty it’s always seemed before Seunghee moved in. And it makes Hyojung appreciate Seunghee’s invitations to movie nights, or Friday night dinners where they spend the evening trying out new recipes and drinking cheap wine. It makes Hyojung appreciate the way Seunghee makes this apartment feel less like a cheap rental and more like a home. 

Of course, Seunghee also has her own flaws. For one, she sings in the shower a bit too loudly. She always sets off the smoke detector in her room, and the kitchen always smells weird after she finishes using it.

(But maybe Hyojung thinks Seunghee’s voice is amazing, and her taste in song choice even better. And maybe Hyojung thinks the way Seunghee tries to frantically shush her smoke detector whenever it goes off is cute; maybe she likes the scent of the air freshener Seunghee uses to cover up the weird smell she always leaves in the kitchen nice. And maybe, just maybe, Hyojung is finding herself with a crush that only continues to grow bigger and bigger every time Seunghee flashes her a smile, even if she’s sure that Seunghee is involving their apartment in some illicit activities.)

.

“You think Seunghee-unni sells _drugs_?” Arin questions as they browse through a local novelty shop. Hyojung had planned on buying Seunghee a pack of tarot cards as a welcoming gift, but—midterms. It’s been lingering in the back of her mind for weeks now, and Hyojung decided to go out and buy it the moment her schedule freed up. “But aren’t drugs, you know, illegal..?”

Hyojung shrugs. “Everyone does what they can to get by, no judgement. Plus drugs are illegal in America too, but that doesn’t stop people from using them.”

“Have _you_ done drugs before?” Arin asks.

“No, of course not,” Hyojung scoffs. “Who do you think I am? I’ve never seen a marijuana before in my life.”

“I still don’t think Seunghee-unni would be cooking up crack cocaine in your kitchen. I’m pretty sure she failed chemistry at least twice,” Arin continues. “You’re probably just overthinking it. Have you tried just asking her?”

“Yeah, of course. But she just said something about how it was just a potion brewing gone wrong,” Hyojung frowns, eyebrows furrowed. Which tarot card set should she choose? The black and gold one, or the one that has the pink hearts logo as the back design.

_“Potion brewing?”_ Arin repeats, incredulous.

“Yeah, she says that witchcraft is a personal hobby of hers. That’s probably, like, slang for something right? Which one do you think is better?”

Arin shrugs. “I wouldn’t know. You know I’m not really into this kind of stuff. And I think the black and gold one is really pretty.”

“You’re right,” Hyojung says decisively. She walks up to the counter to purchase the pink hearts deck. “I should ask someone who knows how to speak like the locals do.”

.

“Is witchcraft a new age meme or something?” Hyojung asks Binnie a couple of days later. Binnie had been Hyojung’s junior from back in high school, but they hadn’t talked much then or even during Binnie’s first year at Ewha, mostly due to their different majors. It wasn’t until last year, when Hyojung had gotten Binnie a job at the cafe she works at that they finally became close.

“Witchcraft?” Binnie asks, swiveling in her chair to look back at Hyojung.

“Yeah, my new flatmate says her hobby is witchcraft. That’s like slang for drugs right? Like cooking crack cocaine is brewing potions or something?”

“No..?” Binnie manages to sputter out. “I think you’ve been watching too much Breaking Bad, unni. I’ve literally never heard this used that way before. Honestly, it just sounds like your new flatmate’s in a cult.”

Hyojung groans, flopping back onto Binnie’s bed. “Do they even have cults in Seoul?”

"Uh, yeah. They do," Binnie bluntly replies. "Isn't Park Bogum in one?"

.

“What do you mean Binnie thinks your roommate’s in a cult?” Mimi asks when Hyojung meets up with her and her girlfriend Yooa for coffee at one of the nearby (aesthetic™) cafes in Edae.

“She sets off the smoke detectors all the time and the kitchen always smells weird after she finishes using it, so originally I thought Seunghee was a drug dealer because—you know how the American movies always talk about how gross drugs smell or whatever. Also she’s been growing plants on her window will, and she says it’s sage and rosemary but I’m pretty sure it’s marijuana. Anyways, I tried asking her about the weird smell, and Seunghee says it’s because she’s brewing potions.”

“Brewing potions?”

“Yeah,” Hyojung shrugs. “She said her hobby’s witchcraft. That’s gotta be like a new meme or something right?”

“Uhhh,” is the only reply Hyojung gets in return.

“Maybe she’s telling the truth,” Yooa says, sipping on her cappuccino. Hyojung and Mimi both turn to her, incredulous looks on their faces. Yooa shrugs. “I mean, Occam’s Razor, right? The simplest explanation is probably more likely to be true than any weird theory you can come up with.”

“But for Seunghee to actually be a witch?” Hyojung retorts. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Well, what other weird stuff have you noticed about her?” Mimi asks.

“Wait, are you actually going along with this?” Hyojung asks. The couple look at her expectantly, making Hyojung sigh in exasperation. “Well, she keeps jars of dried animals in her room.”

Mimi and Yooa jolt up in their chairs. “She _what?!_ How did you not bring that up before?”

“I always thought she was just really into oriental medicine,” Hyojung shrugs.

“Oh that’s true,” Yooa concedes. “My grandma goes to this one doctor and he prescribed her bear vomit. Honestly, I would rather go ahead and die than eat that.”

“What else?” Mimi asks, ignoring Yooa’s comment.

“She has a poster of the pentagram hung on up her wall.”

“She has this really thick black book that says ‘Spells and Potions’ on it but I just thought it was a really aesthetic diary.”

“When she was moving in, Seunghee had this box that was labelled ‘Witchcraft Supplies’. When I helped her unpack it, it was just those dried animal jars I told you about and a bunch of knives that she said were athames.”

“One time I walked in on her ‘brewing a potion’ and she said it for a collapsed lung?”

With every admission, Mimi’s and Yooa’s eyes narrow more and more for reasons unknown to Hyojung. “What?” she says at some point, finally fed up with the way they were looking at her.

They look at each other before Mimi sighs. “Hyojung, I love you, but you are so stupid.”

“Hey!”

“So, _so_ stupid,” Mimi strains, as if physically pained by it.

“I don’t know how you could live with her being so in-your-face about her being a witch. It’s like she’s not even trying to hide it,” Yooa adds on.

“That’s ridiculous,” Hyojung scoffs. “There’s no way she’s a witch. Witches don’t exist!”

“Then what would your explanation for all of this be?”

Hyojung pauses. “Maybe she just really likes that goth aesthetic..? That’s been the trend recently, hasn’t it? She does blast rock metal from time to time.”

“The potion for the collapsed lung?”

“Home remedy from one of those shady healthy lifestyle blogs white suburban moms write.”

“Those athames she has?”

“We all have things we collect. Arin collects those beanie babies.”

“Listen,” Mimi starts. “It’d be a lot less tiring for you if you just accept the truth instead of wasting energy doing all of this mental gymnastics trying to make all the weird as fuck things Seunghee does seem normal.”

Hyojung scoffs. “It’d be a lot easier for _you_ if you just accept that witches don’t exist, and your theory is ridiculous. Good bye!” she says, before shoveling the rest of her crepe cake into her mouth and walking out of the cafe in a huff.

.

  
“Hey, how was the coffee date with your friends?” Seunghee calls out the moment Hyojung opens the apartment door.

“They’re great and I love them and all, but ugh,” Hyojung groans out. “That was so tiring.”

“Why? Were they being really couple-y?”

“Well, that too,” Hyojung replies, hanging up her purse and heading towards the living room, where Seunghee was. “But they somehow managed to get it into their heads that you’re a witch. Isn’t that just absolutely—” Hyojung freezes as she walks into the scene of Seunghee and her friends surrounding a pentagram lit by candles, the mutilated carcass of an animal floating above the center “—ridiculous…”

.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” Seunghee profusely apologizes as she rubs Hyojung’s back in comfort. Hyojung doesn’t respond and continues sitting in her seat at the kitchen table, staring off into the distance in an almost catatonic state. “I thought Jiho said she told you that I was a witch already.”

“I mean,” Hyojung begins after a long, drawn out pause. “She did, but that didn’t mean I knew witches exist in the first place.”

Seunghee glares over at Jiho, who mumbled _‘I knew I forgot something,’_ under her breath. The rest of the cover members had left, not wanting to deal with the aftermath, but Seunghee had forced Jiho to stay, knowing that she probably had something to do with this. She looks back down at Hyojung, who seems to still be in a state of shock, and sighs before crouching down to pull the older girl into a hug. Geez, this was such a mess.

.

“What’s this?” Hyojung asks as she was handed a document some time the next day.

“It’s a non-disclosure agreement!” Seunghee cheerfully informs, as if Hyojung hadn’t walked in on her roommate mutilate a cat with her buddies in the living room.

“No one’s supposed to know that we exist, but of course, there are slipups every once in a while,” Jiho explains.

“Yeah. Back in the olden days, we used to straight up murder people who found out but we found that threatening to sue them is actually a lot more effective,” Seunghee says. “It’s a _lot_ of money,” she adds on when Hyojung raises an eyebrow.

“Well, alright,” Hyojung appeases, quickly signing the form, then pauses. “Wait, guys, we have another problem.”

“What?”

“I kind of already told everyone I know that Seunghee’s a witch.”

“Oh my goddd,” Jiho groans. “Can we just kill them all and get it over with?”

Seunghee gasps. “No???”

.

(“Oh my god, I was actually right?” Yooa gasps when they hand her the NDA form after explaining. Mimi signs and silently slide over a ten thousand won bill.)

.

It seems that Hyojung and Seunghee managed to get even closer after that, Seunghee always calling Hyojung over whenever she’s brewing potions in the kitchen. Thursday night potion brewing slowly comes to accompany Friday night dinners, and Hyojung slowly gets roped into the world of witchcraft. 

Seunghee has a lot of fun teaching Hyojung about the craft, casting small spells to show off, and taking her on adventures to meet the other supernatural creatures living near the college campus. And Hyojung, for the most part, enjoys it. She oohs and ahhs at the spells and potions, helps Seunghee memorize incantations, and easily makes conversations with the faeries that they meet when hiking Ansan behind the Yonsei campus. It helps that Seunghee remains a good flatmate, despite the new world she had inadvertently thrown Hyojung into. She makes sure to let Hyojung know in advance when her covenmates are stopping by, mops up the leftover blood on their floorboards from whatever ritual they were doing, and has recently bought a plug-in air freshener to combat the weird smell that always lingers after she finishes brewing potions . It’s a bit of an unconventional flatmate situation, Hyojung admits, but hey, it still beats hearing Seulgi and Joohyun go at it until the sun rises.

.

(“How did witchcraft even begin here?” Hyojung asks one day. “All of this seems really Western.”

“Oh, some of the missionaries brought it over,” Seunghee explains. “Kind of ironic, right? Since the Church was persecuting ‘witches’ at the time. Anyways, the witches just had a mass exodus into other countries under the guise of being missionaries and spread the craft around to those who had the potential for it, and here we are! Ewha in particular is a huge hotbed for witchcraft because their founder was the head of a coven.”)

.

  
Of course, it still gets a bit too much at times for Hyojung. It’s all fun and games when Seunghee was showing her potions that she was concocting for the magic shop she worked part-time at—inconsequential stuff like truth serums and glamor potions. But the more open Seunghee became about showing Hyojung the more magical side of life, the darker it seemed. 

To some extent, Hyojung knew that witchcraft wasn’t a particularly “nice” hobby to have. Seunghee had explained that they got their bad reputation for a reason, that they tend to engage in activities that normal society considered taboo such as sacrificing animals and manipulating people’s minds and lives through magical means. (And Hyojung had walked in on Seunghee and her buddies sacrificing a small goat, so there was that too.) And to a certain extent, Hyojung accepted it and understood that underneath the satanic tendencies, Seunghee was a genuinely good person.

But it becomes a bit too much for her after she enters the apartment after three classes back to back, having a graduate student tear apart her term paper, and having not eaten since the night before, hoping to be able to rest only to walk in on Seunghee and the rest of her coven ominously chanting in the living room. There’s a pentagram rimmed by an ancient script drawn in blood on the floorboards, and emerging out of it is a hideous, pitch black creature from the depths of hell itself. The creature leaves jagged claw marks in the floor as it tries to crawl out of the portal. God, Hyojung is most definitely _not_ getting her deposit back. She sighs to herself. This was the fifth time this week that it’s happened and it’s only Wednesday. Hyojung genuinely thought that replacing Seulgi with Seunghee would be the _solution_ to all of her problems, not cause her even more problems.

“What the hell, Seunghee?” Hyojung bursts out “What did I tell you about summoning demons in our apartment without my permission?” The witches immediately stop chanting, and the portal slowly shrinks. The creature lets out a jarring wail as Hyojung beats it back into hell with a nearby broom.

“Hyojung!” Seunghee greets, rushing over to her.

“Really??” Hyojung sighs in exasperation. “This is the fifth time this week! And what are you going to do about the floor, huh? You know we can’t afford to have the floorboards replaced!” Hyojung scolds. Seunghee ushers her covenmates out of the apartment, and not even brash, bold Jiho has the courage to stay behind in the face of an angry Hyojung.

“Listen, why don’t we calm down. I’ll make us some tea and we’ll talk it o—” Seunghee tries to start, already pouring some tea she had made earlier into some mugs.

“God, When you said that witchcraft was a ‘hobby’, I thought that just meant the occasional herb spell every now and then: that did not mean you could hold meetings for your covens at our house?? Are you drinking blood in your tea??”

“What? Of course not!” Seunghee gasps. “It’s strawberry jam! Who do you think I am, some kind of barbarian?”

“I mean, you’re putting strawberry jam in your tea! I don’t know what to think of you anymore!” There’s a few beats of tense silence, filled only with Hyojung’s harsh breathing.

“I thought you were okay with it,” Seunghee says meekly.

“What? The strawberry jam?”

“No, the whole witch thing.”

Hyojung sighs. “I’ve been trying really hard to be accepting of everything, but there’s only so much I can handle, Seunghee. Even I have my limits.” Hyojung leaves the apartment then, and all that remains is Seunghee, the claw marks on the floor boards, and the beginnings of a stark realization.

.

  
“Hey, can we talk?” Seunghee asks after knocking on the door to Hyojung’s room.

Hyojung has had time to cool down after a couple of days, and runs a hand through her hair before calling for Seunghee to enter. She has some regrets herself on how she handled the situation. While it had been stuff Hyojung had wanted to say for a while now, she should’ve communicated it better with her, rather than yelling it at her in a burst of anger. And looking at how Seunghee timidly toys with the fabric of her jeans as she figures out how to start the conversation, the guilt grows. 

“There was a moment where I was scared, when I realized that you hadn’t known that witches exist,” Seunghee softly confesses, toying with her hands. Hyojung lifts her head up from her desk to look at her. “Most people—they don’t take the news too well. Some tell the Church, some call the news, one girl hired an exorcist. They see the dark magic, the blood, and they freak. And I hadn’t wanted you to do the same. Because I like you; I really like you. And you didn’t,” Seunghee smiles fondly to herself. “You, you never treated me any differently and took everything in stride. So maybe I got a bit overzealous,” Seunghee admits, giving Hyojung an apologetic smile. “I should’ve known that this would still be overwhelming for you, and I’m sorry for that.”

“No, come here,” Hyojung sighs, kneeling in front of the bed and pulling Seunghee down into a hug. Seunghee nuzzles her face into Hyojung’s shoulder, and if Hyojung’s shirt is getting a little wet, well, that’s nobody’s business. “It’s overwhelming, yes,” Hyojung admits. “And I’m going to need a bit more time to adjust to it all. But to me—even if you’re a witch, and sacrifice cute small animals to the devil, you’re always going to be just you. And I happen to like just you, satanic cultist and all. So don’t apologize for anything, just give me the time and space to understand. Okay?” Hyojung feels Seunghee nod into her shoulder, and she pulls the younger girl even closer to her.

“Okay.”

“And we need to set some ground rules about what magic can and can’t be done inside the house because I don’t think I can explain those claw marks in the living room to the landlord.”

Seunghee lets out a watery laugh and nods again. “Okay.”

.

Hyojung gets the score for her latest exam back, and breaks down over the red marks that litter the page. It’s just one bad exam, she knows, but she had studied hard for this. To have worked so hard, only for it to amount to nothing—it’s frustrating. And it’s on the couch, sobbing into her test, where Seunghee finds her over an hour later.

“What happened?” Seunghee gasps, rushing over to Hyojung. She immediately sits next to her, wrapping the older girl in her arms. Hyojung pulls away to show the smudged ‘46’ written on her test. “Is that it?” Seunghee laughs, and Hyojung hits her in retaliation.

“It’s not funny, I studied hard for this test,” Hyojung retorts, scooting away from Seunghee in contempt.

“I’m sorry,” Seunghee apologizes with a light laugh. She scoots back closer to Hyojung and slings an arm over her shoulder. “Hey, wanna see some cool magic?” Seunghee asks, and Hyojung looks up at her curiously. Seunghee flicks her hand and a flower appears. Except it’s not really a flower, just a pen that Hyojung had attached a fake flower onto with green masking tape—a project she had hosted at the kindergarten she volunteers at. It’s so ridiculous, that Seunghee, all-powerful witch Seunghee who can heal collapsed lungs and talk to the deed, did some cheap magician’s trick to cheer her up. Hyojung can’t help but burst out in incredulous laughter at the thought. 

“You’re so ridiculous,” Hyojung laughs, pushing Seunghee away.

“But it cheered you up!” Seunghee grins proudly. “You know, I’ve always thought that laughter’s the greatest magic of all.”

“Stop!” Hyojung says, but she’s laughing all the same. Seunghee may be ridiculous, but maybe she’s onto something because Hyojung magically feels a lot better.

“Thank you,” Hyojung whispers to her later, as they’re lying on the couch together after all the laughter had died down. 

“There’s nothing to thank for. Literally. I mean, it’s your flower after all,” Seunghee replies.

“No, not for that. Well, yeah, for that too, But also for everything else,” Hyojung says back, and there’s a moment of silence as Hyojung contemplates whether or not to do it, then—she gently presses her lips against Seunghee’s jaw, letting herself smile at the surprised gasp the younger girl lets out. “Thank you,” she says again, letting her head fall onto Seunghee’s shoulder.

Seunghee smiles back at her. “No problem.”

.

“Oh my god, you and your goth witch roommate are so in love,” Yooa gasps in realization as Hyojung recounts the latest of their adventures, which involves Seunghee taking her to the cemetery to talk to the ghost of her great-great grandmother.

“First of all, Seunghee’s not goth. She wears specs and owns Nerdy jumpsuits. If anything, she’s a scene witch,” Hyojung retorts. “And second of all, we’re NOT in love. I don’t even like her that way.”

“Then why did you phrase it like that?” Mimi asks.

“Phrase what like what?”

“Why did you correct Yooa on the fashion thing first? I thought you would’ve corrected her on you guys not being in love first,” Mimi comments, before smirking. “If that was true.”

“Freudian slip,” Yooa adds on smugly.

“Ugh, I hate that you guys are a couple. You always gang up on me,” Hyojung bemoans. “But you’re on my side, right, Arin?” 

She turns over to the youngest to seek support, but Arin remains silent, only shooting her an apologetic smile. “I mean, she did bring you over to meet her ancestors.”

“Ha!” Yooa laughs smugly. Hyojung glares at her before stealing some of her cake in retaliation.

.

“Hey, how was the coffee date with your friends?” Seunghee calls out the moment Hyojung returns.

“Tiring as always,” Hyojung sighs, throwing her bag onto the sofa before collapsing on it herself.

“Aw, poor baby,” Seunghee coos as she pats Hyojung’s head. Hyojung pouts up at her, eyes sharpening into a glare. Seunghee only laughs. “Well, anyways, you won’t _believe_ what new merchandise we just got in the shop.”

“What?” 

“A flying carpet!” Seunghee exclaims, already shaking in excitement. “And guess whose manager is letting her take it for a test flight tonight~” she asks in a sing-songy voice.

Hyojung gasps, sitting up. “No way!”

Seunghee grins, and starts belting A Whole New World instead of giving Hyojung a proper response. Hyojung only laughs as she lets the younger girl tug her out of the apartment, joining her in singing the Disney song.

.

“Have you flown one of these things before?” Hyojung asks, hands clasped around one of Seunghee’s arms as the carpet jolts.

“Nope! This is my first time!” Seunghee yells back over the wind as their ascent picks up speed. 

_God, we’re going to die_ , Hyojung thinks to herself as she screams her lungs out. And yet—Hyojung gazes over at Seunghee’s excited expression—she somehow isn’t upset about it.

.

“Not bad for a first-timer, right? I told you you could trust me,” Seunghee smugly says later, when they’re watching the fireworks for a nearby summer festival from their seat on the carpet high in the sky.

Hyojung rolls her eyes, looking over at Seunghee to retort, and just stops. Hyojung had always thought that Seunghee was pretty, but here and now, with the fireworks softly illuminating her features and the almost child-like amazement glazed over in her eyes— _Ugh, Yooa was right_ , Hyojung admits to herself. She has fallen for Seunghee. 

“Hyojung?” Seunghee calls out, noticing that the other girl hadn’t replied. “Is something wrong?”

“No,” Hyojung sighs, waving off Seunghee’s concern. “Just thought about something annoying one of my friends said today. Don’t worry about it.”

“Well, we should probably get going soon,” Seunghee says, looking at the time on her phone. “I know you have a test first thing in the morning.” And maybe this is bare minimum of her, but just the fact that Seunghee remembers her schedule sets her heart off on another bout. And Hyojung has always been a proactive person, someone who prefers to live in the moment, to live with past failures than missed opportunities. So she decides in that moment to take a chance.

“Wait, before we go, wanna see some cool magic?”

Seunghee snorts. “First of all, I’m the witch here. And second of all, we’re literally on a flying magic carpet watching fireworks from the sky. There is no cooler ma—” Hyojung’s lips slotted against hers in a gentle kiss muffles the rest of Seunghee’s retort, and the sound dies off in her throat as the older girl deepens the kiss. Fireworks continue to go off in the background, but they’re muffled by the rushed thumping of Hyojung’s heart, by the soft sounds Seunghee makes in between kisses. “I stand corrected,” Seunghee breathes out in a daze once Hyojung pulls back, resting her forehead against the younger girl’s. 

Hyojung giggles. “Good.”

.

(Later, Hyojung poses a picture of them together—Hyojung’s lips pressed against Seunghee’s flushed cheek, fireworks bursting in the background, carpet expertly cropped out of the photo. 

Yooa comments less than a minute later. _‘Glad to know that I was right (again).’_ Hyojung can’t even find it in herself to be mad.)


End file.
